Eight House Republicans broke ranks and voted with Democrats Wednesday to pass a spending measure to end the partial government shutdown without funding for President Trump's border wall.
Why it matters: The votes by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Herrera Beutler (Wash.), Will Hurd (Texas), John Katko (N.Y.), Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Elise Stefanik (N.Y.), Fred Upton (Mich.) and Greg Walden (Ore.) would reopen agencies including the Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service and Small Business Administration. The House bill is unlikely to pass the Senate, but the defections suggest the real-life effects of the government shutdown are starting to take a toll on Republicans.
California billionaire Tom Steyer, who has poured millions into a campaign to impeach President Trump, said Wednesday he will not run for president in 2020, the New York Times reports.
Details: The Democratic activist, who said he will make an announcement about his political plans today in Iowa, concluded that he "could have a greater political impact through his impeachment activism," several of his advisers told the Times.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told reporters Wednesday that President Trump should "pull out" of NAFTA if the Democrat-controlled House doesn't support the renegotiated trade deal signed by the U.S., Mexico and Canada last November.
"I hope that they're smart enough not to let that happen."
Between the lines, via Axios' Caitlin Owens: As the new chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Grassley will be responsible for shepherding the deal through the Senate. Withdrawing from NAFTA would be seen as the ultimate way to force the Democrats' hand when it comes to approving the trade deal, but it's a risky move. If Democrats don't fold and there ends up being no trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, the result would be complete economic chaos.
President Trump tweeted on Wednesday that his meeting with Democratic leaders Senator Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was "a total waste of time."
"Just left a meeting with Chuck and Nancy, a total waste of time. I asked what is going to happen in 30 days if I quickly open things up, are you going to approve Border Security which includes a Wall or Steel Barrier? Nancy said, NO. I said bye-bye, nothing else works!"
The big picture: On Day 19 of the government shutdown, the two sides remain exactly where they started. President Trump has drawn a red line in his demands for a border wall, while the Democrats have drawn a red line in their refusal. Trump said today that the "threshold" for declaring a national emergency to build the wall would be if he can't strike a deal with "people that are unreasonable."
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has communicated to the White House and President Trump that he plans to leave office once William Barr is confirmed as attorney general, ABC News and CNN report.
The big picture: There is no indication Rosenstein is being forced out by the Trump administration, ABC writes. In September, Rosenstein offered his resignation after reports surfaced that he suggested the 25th Amendment be invoked.
A source close to President Trump tells me that he thinks a declaration of a national emergency at the border — which Trump stopped short of last night — remains the most likely ultimate option, because of the latitude it gives the president.
Yes, but: Conservatives, including sources in the conservative legal orbit surrounding Trump, don’t like what they view as an abuse of this authority.
In a national address from the Oval Office Tuesday night, President Trump defended his demand for a wall on the southern border with Mexico by claiming unauthorized immigrants bring crime and drugs into the U.S. at devastating levels.
Reality check: The majority of immigrants arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection have had no criminal history. The vast majority of opioids seized at the border, meanwhile, come through legal ports of entry.
Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Ala.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) have called for the government to be reopened before more work is done on border security.
Why it matters: It's getting harder for lawmakers to ignore the real consequences of a shutdown. Democrats in the House have passed a spending bill that would fund a majority of the shuttered government agencies besides the Department of Homeland Security, but President Trump has promised a veto. The Senate can override a veto with 67 votes, but Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he won't bring any vote that doesn't have Trump's approval.
In a rebuttal to President Trump's prime-time address Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed Trump has rejected bipartisan bills to re-open the government at the expense of "millions of Americans," and that the situation at the southern border with Mexico is "a humanitarian challenge," not "a security threat."
Why it matters: It is Day 18 of a partial government shutdown, and the two sides couldn't be farther apart.
